How to write the perfect cover letter

How to write the perfect cover letter

A cover letter is a great way to express your interest and demonstrate your suitability for a specific role and helps separate you from other applicants. It’s important that it’s personal to you and shows the prospective employer your specific skills and experience that make you the perfect candidate for the job. It acts as a prefix to your full CV and should always be paired with a well written CV.

A well written cover letter will help secure interviews, even if at times your CV lacks experience. It’s your opportunity to impress an employer and make a positive impact before they even get to your CV.

Are cover letters necessary?

The answer is that there isn’t really an answer. Some employers will insist on a cover letter as part of their shortlisting process. Even for the ones that don’t, it’s an opportunity to sell yourself and stand out from the crowd. Job adverts nowadays attract a high number of applicants and it’s hard to sell your suitability for a role through just a CV. Sometimes employers find it difficult to determine suitability or transferable skills and using a cover letter will enable you to bring that to the fore. We would absolutely recommend when applying for a role to use a cover letter to give you an advantage over other applicants.

The right cover letter structure

How long should a cover letter be?

A good cover letter should be short and punchy. Something which gives your potential employer enough information to get you on the shortlist, but not so much that your message gets swamped in pages of words.

In a piece on Guardian Jobs, former editor Ian Wylie says that the words should be no longer than one page, which is something we agree with. If you find yourself going longer than this, then it’s likely that you have included information which isn’t relevant to the employer, so it is important to edit at this point.

What should I include in my cover letter?

When writing a cover letter, a huge element in helping you stick to the relevant points in to have a structure in mind. We would recommend including:

Your name and contact details – as with any letter reference your name, address, email address and contact telephone number. The employer can then connect the letter with your CV.

The date – Always ensure that your letter carries a date so that the employer knows when you first expressed your interest and can link the letter/application to the live roles available at that time.

The role you’re expressing an interest in – You can include this as a reference at the top of the letter and include any associated reference numbers linked to the job advert

Reference the person who is recruiting – Hopefully this information is included on the job advert – if not you can always do a bit of stalking on LinkedIn to find out who is in their HR Department/Recruitment team, or even call the business and find out who is recruiting for that so that you can address your cover letter personally to them

An opening/memorable introduction – writing a targeted introduction will look like you’ve done your research and made an effort. Begin by telling the employer which position your cover letter is in reference to, how you found out about the opportunity and what specifically caught your attention. The rest of this section should be a brief overview of you and your career goals. You may also include specifics about the company you’re applying to which is of interest to you

Tailor it for the position you’re applying for – this is the opportunity to sell yourself as the ideal candidate for the job. You can reference the job description/person specification her and sell in your past experience and skill set that matches what they are looking for. It’s fine to include words and phrases used in the job description as this will help the employer easily assess suitability. It’s also a good time here to discuss how this role fits in with your career goals (mentioned above).

End with a call to action – Don’t be too pushy! But, use this final section as an opportunity to summarise your interest in the role based on all of the above and ask for an interview! Reference your enclosed CV and tell them that you would love the opportunity to meet them face to face to discuss the opportunity further. Thank them for taking the time to read your letter and explain how best to contact you and the best times to get hold of you. You could also let them know your interview availability to assist with their next steps.

What to avoid in a cover letter?

Avoid clichés or anything generic that other candidates may use. Also, don’t use the same cover letter for every role you apply for. You can have a ‘standard’ cover letter which you can amend and tailor for each role. It’s common to see the following generic wording which you should avoid at all costs if you want to stand out! Some examples of these are:

“To whom it may concern”

“Dear sir/madam”

“Thank you for taking the time to look at my CV”

Finally, make sure you check for typo’s and don’t focus on what you haven’t done or can’t do, make the cover letter a positive reinforcement of your suitability for the job and your transferable skills. If you’d like help and support in your job search, be that crafting a winning cover letter or CV, interview advice or just some insight into the marketplace then drop us a line on 0114 321 1873 or email your CV to hello@www.glurecruit.co.uk.

As one of Glu’s Recruitment Consultants, my focus is on placing high calibre temporary, permanent and contract staff with employers across Yorkshire and the Midlands.

Hometown: Barnsley

Favouritefood: Pizza

Favouritething to do: Watching the super reds (Barnsley FC)

Favourite holiday destination: Mawgan Porth, Cornwall

Favourite film: Wayne’s World

Favourite thing about our city: Bradfield Brewery

Describe yourself in 3 words: Loyal, Hardworking and Outgoing

Name: Rob Shaw

Role: Managing Director

Rob is the business owner and leads the team on the good ship Glu Recruit. He has over a decade of recruitment experience and has worked for a large national as well as a smaller independent agency in that time. Rob is a perfectionist and values relationships as well as hard graft and banter.

More about Rob!

Hometown: Rotherham

Favourite food: Pizza

Favourite thing to do: Holidays and spending time with my kids

Favourite holiday destination: Greece

Favourite film: Anything from my Disney collection

Favourite thing about our city: The folk

Describe yourself in 3 words: Passionate, Hard-working & Dedicated

Name: Helena Butterworth

Role: Recruitment Administrator

Helena joined Glu Recruit in 2019 as our Recruitment Administrator. Helena is the first voice you will hear when you call in to the office, and is the one who keeps everyone organised and on the straight and narrow!

More about Helena!

Hometown: Barnsley

Favourite food: Peanut Butter

Favourite thing to do: Drinking cocktails with friends

Favourite holiday destination: Jamaica

Favourite film: White Chicks or Step Brothers

Favourite thing about our city: Night life

Describe yourself in 3 words: Hardworking, Sociable & Positive

Name: Brendan Hall

Role: Marketing Consultant

Brendan has been working with Glu as their marketing consultant since early 2018. He manages Glu’s marketing and communication campaigns making sure the brand is always out there and in the right places! With a keen eye for detail, Brendan enjoys getting involved in the creative aspects of the role.

More about Brendan!

Hometown: Rotherham

Favourite food: Sunday Roast

Favourite thing to do: Watching the Mighty Blades

Favourite holiday destination: Cornwall

Favourite film: A Clockwork Orange

Favourite thing about our city: Corp!

Describe yourself in 3 words: Thoughtful, Committed & Loyal

Name: Claire Foster

Role: Recruitment Co-ordinator

Claire joined in 2018 initially in a temporary position before joining full time as a Recruitment Co-ordinator. She works with employers and job seekers to find their perfect match.

Hometown: Rotherham

Favouritefood: Chocolate!

Favouritething to do: Anything creative especially jewellery designing and making

Favourite holiday destination: Las Vegas

Favourite film: Con Air

Favourite thing about our city: Theatres

Describe yourself in 3 words: Caring, Motherley & Creative

Name: Lisa Brunt

Role: Recruitment Co-ordinator

Lisa joined Glu in 2016 as our first member of staff and is our Senior Recruitment Co-ordinator. She works with employers and job seekers to find their perfect match. Outside of this she is the office mum who looks after us all and makes a cracking brew.

More about Lisa!

Hometown: Sheffield

Favouritefood: Too many to name! But if it was my last meal on earth it would be a meat & tatty pie!

Favouritething to do: Chill in my pj’s with a cuppa

Favourite holiday destination: Cyprus

Favourite film: Dirty Dancing of course!

Favourite thing about our city: Arctic Monkeys

Describe yourself in 3 words: Caring, genuine & considerate

Name: Charlotte Pike

Role: Recruitment Co-ordinator

Charlotte has been with Glu since 2017 and has worked her way up to the position of Recruitment Co-ordinator and works with employers and job seekers to find their perfect match.

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Hometown: Sheffield

Favourite food: Hot and spicy curry

Favourite thing to do: Going on holiday

Favourite holiday destination: Lanzarote, Puerto Del Carmen

Favourite film: She’s the man

Favourite thing about our city: Hendo’s

Describe yourself in 3 words: Outgoing, friendly & organised

Name: Charlotte Pike

Role: Recruitment Co-ordinator

Charlotte has been with Glu since 2017 and has worked her way up to the position of Recruitment Co-ordinator and works with employers and job seekers to find their perfect match.

More about Charlotte!

Hometown: Sheffield

Favourite food: Hot and spicy curry

Favourite thing to do: Going on holiday

Favourite holiday destination: Lanzarote, Puerto Del Carmen

Favourite film: She’s the man

Favourite thing about our city: Hendo’s

Describe yourself in 3 words: Outgoing, friendly & organised

Name: Lisa Betsworth

Role: Head of Client Partnerships

Lisa is in charge of all things sales and client development. Having spent too long to mention in the industry Lisa has worked in both national and independent agency’s as well as setting up her own. Lisa is driven by quality and loves nothing more than building relationships with her clients but having a laugh with them along the way

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Hometown: Whitwell

Favourite food: Sushi

Favourite thing to do: Travel

Favourite holiday destination: Cuba

Favourite film: Greatest Showman or Saw Films

Favourite thing about our city: Henderson Relish

Describe yourself in 3 words: Ambitious, Fun Loving, Loyal

Name: Lisa Brunt

Role: Recruitment Co-ordinator

Lisa is our Recruitment Co-ordinator and works with employers and job seekers to find their perfect match. Outside of this she is the office mum who looks after us all and makes a cracking brew.

More about Lisa!

Hometown: Sheffield

Favouritefood: Too many to name! But if it was my last meal on earth it would be a meat & tatty pie!

Favouritething to do: Chill in my pj’s with a cuppa

Favourite holiday destination: Cyprus

Favourite film: Dirty Dancing of course!

Favourite thing about our city: Arctic Monkeys

Describe yourself in 3 words: Caring, genuine & considerate

Name: Rob Shaw

Role: Managing Director

Rob is the business owner and leads the team on the good ship Glu Recruit. He has over a decade of recruitment experience and has worked for a large national as well as a smaller independent agency in that time. Rob is a perfectionist and values relationships as well as hard graft and banter.